At around 6:30 a.m. local time Saturday, armed terrorists affiliated with Hamas launched a surprise attack from the Gaza Strip, overwhelming military personnel and infiltrating several towns in southern Israel.
The daring offensive had Hamas operatives entering Israel by land, air, and sea with the support of rocket fire. Video footage emerged showing them capturing military bases along with tanks and armored vehicles.
Israel has responded with what it is calling “Operation Iron Swords,” which has thus far included airstrikes on alleged Hamas targets within Gaza. Israel formally declared war on Hamas Saturday night.
Hamas spokesperson Khaled Qadomi said his organization’s military operation was a response to Israel’s treatment of Palestinians over many decades.
“We want the international community to stop atrocities in Gaza, against Palestinian people, our holy sites like Al-Aqsa. All these things are the reason behind starting this battle,” Qadomi told Al Jazeera.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, violence broke out in April at the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The site is sacred to both Muslims and Jews and has often been at the center of violent clashes. The mosque sits atop the Old City plateau in East Jerusalem.
Hamas posted a message asking for support on the app Telegram, calling on “the resistance fighters in the West Bank” and “our Arab and Islamic nations” to lend their support.
Since 2008, Israel has waged four major assaults on the narrow piece of coastal land that is the Gaza Strip, exacting a death toll in the thousands from the mostly civilian Palestinian population that lives in one of the most densely populated areas in the world, according to Al Jazeera.
In between the major assaults, there have been regular violent incidents between Palestinians and Israelis in all the Israeli-occupied but mostly Arab-populated areas, including the West Bank, Golan Heights, and the Gaza Strip.
According to Mondoweiss, a Palestinian teen was shot and killed while clashing with Israeli settlers in the West Bank town of Huwwara on Thursday. He was the fourth Palestinian killed by Israelis in a 24-hour span less than two days before Hamas began its offensive.
More than 700 Israelis and 400 Palestinians have been reported dead since the fighting started on Saturday, according to the Associated Press. Dozens of Israelis and foreign nationals are believed to have been captured and taken prisoner by Hamas.